Rescue Me
by Singer1108
Summary: After a long space delivery, things between Fry and Leela change. Nine months later, they're bringing a baby home, but when Fry get's cocky about driving in a storm, things take a turn for the worse. An entry in the 2008 TSFFC Writing Competition.


_Captain's Log, Date: August 25__th__, 3008.  
The professor sent Fry and me out on a delivery to a distant planet at the edge of the universe today. Unfortunately for me, the trip is two weeks long, meaning my temper is on the fritz. Being stuck with Fry is one thing, but being stuck with him ALONE makes a gal wish she never got involved in the delivery business. We've only been on this trip for six hours and he's already made a terrible mess of things. I'm not sure how much longer I can put up with him._

Leela was sitting in her cabin recording her thoughts in her Captain's journal when Fry walked in. Her eye narrowed as he made his way to her side.

"Hey Leela, whatcha up to?" he asked.

"I _was_ trying to write in my Captain's journal, but I was rudely interrupted." Leela replied, folding her arms over her chest.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to bother you."

"No, it's fine. I was just finishing up."

"What were you writing about?" Fry asked, taking a seat on Leela's bed.

"I'm not sure that's any of your business." Leela said.

"Maybe not, but I just thought I would ask."

Fry and Leela sat in an awkward silence, listening to the hum of the engine as the ship flew through space. Leela stared at Fry, taking in his image from head to toe. His bright red hair settled neatly on top of his head, bending upwards and ending in a dual spike. His eyes twinkled in the light of the room, and his face reminded Leela of that of a boy. She looked over his body, out of shape, but not chubby, and found herself beginning to wonder why she was noticing these things now. Shaking the thought from her mind, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"What do you want, Fry?" she asked gently.

"Nothing major. I was just wondering if you would maybe want to hang out?" he asked.

"And what exactly did you have in mind?"

"Well, I thought maybe you and I could grab something to eat. You've got to be hungry, considering you didn't eat anything before we left the Planet Express."

The thought hadn't occurred to Leela before, but the thought of food made her stomach growl a little.

"I guess getting something to eat is acceptable. I am a little hungry."

"Great! You pick the place to go, and I'll pay." Fry said.

"Oh no you don't. If I let you pay, then this could turn into a date."

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Fry, how many times do we have to go over this before you finally understand that I'm not interested in dating you? I value our friendship and I don't want to lose what we already have." she explained.

"But don't you ever want to take a chance? Live life to the fullest, Leela! Who knows, you may actually start to like me as more than a friend."

"I'm not sure we're ready for that, Fry," Leela said. "Let's just go get something to eat and get back to the ship. We can't get behind on a delivery that will take a total of two weeks to complete."

"Oh, alright," Fry said. "But don't think I'm just going to forget about our little convo."

Leela rolled her eye, stood up from her chair, and made her way to the control room. Fry followed closely behind her, studying her as she walked. He watched as her hips gently swayed from side to side with every step she took. He stared at her curvy figure and imagined himself wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. It may have just been the back part of Leela, but to Fry, it was just as beautiful as the front.

The duo entered the control room and took their places in their desired seats. Leela pressed a few buttons as Fry relaxed in his chair near the navigators.

"How far away is the closest planet?" Leela asked.

"About five minutes away," Fry said. "What you feel like getting?"

"No idea, we'll just have to see what the planet has…if there's anything there at all."

"Good point," Fry said.

They flew the rest of the five minute ship in silence. Once they arrived to the planet, Leela rested the ship upon its surface and stepped out with Fry following behind. They stopped at a local fast food restaurant, placed their order, and took a seat in a booth at the far corner. They sat across from one another and shared several casual conversations. They laughed at each other's jokes, shared stories, and even talked about past relationships. When Leela started to become upset about her most recent break up, Fry would reach his hand out and pat hers softly, reassuring her that everything was going to be ok.

About an hour or so later, Fry and Leela made their way back to the ship, walking closer together than usual.

"That was…fun." Leela said.

"Yeah, it was." Fry agreed.

"I had a really great time hanging out with you."

"I'm glad you did," Fry said. "I know it can get kind of annoying hanging out with the same person for two weeks, but I just wanted make it up to you now. That way, if I screw up on the rest of this trip, you won't be as mad."

"I don't know if I should be flattered or offended by that little comment." Leela giggled.

"That depends on how you look at it." Fry said.

"Well, I appreciate your effort to fix things before they get worse."

"Hey, it's no problem. Just knowing you're happy is all that matters."

Leela smiled. She appreciated Fry's sincerity and couldn't help but believe every word he said. There was something about the way he said things; you could tell when he really meant what he was saying. Whenever he was with her, everything he said came out in the same, sincere tone. It made her feel…special.

Acting upon instinct, Fry reached for Leela's hand, lacing his fingers between hers. To his surprise, Leela didn't pull her hand away. _Maybe there is hope for us after all, _he thought. At the moment their hands touched, he felt his heart rate increase and his throat clogging with his own oxygen. His mind was racing with questions on what he should do next, but then decided that holding her hand was good enough.

For now.

"What are you thinking?" Leela asked.

"Oh…uh, I was just, uh," Fry stammered.

Leela chuckled. "Do I need to know?"

"You were the one that asked."

"Now I'm thinking it was a bad idea."

"No, no! I wasn't really thinking anything. I was just…nervous, I guess."

"Nervous?" Leela asked.

"Well, yeah. I mean, there's something I've wanted to do for a while now, and I was thinking I'd give it a try."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just promise me you won't hit me, ok?"

Leela stared at Fry, completely lost as to what he was talking about. As she stared at him, she noticed his face getting closer to hers. He was going to kiss her, she was sure of it. Is this what she wanted? Was she ready for this? There was no time to think this through, she decided. Fry was just inches away from her face, getting closer as each second ticked by, until finally, his lips gently pressed against hers. It was short and sweet, lingering for only a two second time span, but within those two seconds, Leela felt a spark, something she never thought she'd feel for Fry. A feeling, she was sure, that would last a lifetime.

After Fry broke the kiss, he rested his forehead on hers, waiting for Leela to punch him in the gut, lecture him about his actions, and storm away. To his surprise, she didn't. Instead, she took him by the hand and led him into the ship and into her cabin.

They made love for hours, carefully caressing one another setting each others world on fire. When they were done, they lay beside one another trying to catch their breath, letting out an occasional giggle to ease the tension.

"That was amazing," Fry said. "A hell of a lot better than I thought it would be."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Leela teased.

"It's supposed to mean you exceeded expectations."

"Right. Of course."

Fry laughed and rolled on his side to face Leela. He propped himself up on his elbow and stared into her eye before speaking.

"Leela, I want to tell you something that I think you need to hear."

"And what might that be?"

"That I'm completely in love with you."

Leela was silent, showing no expression on her face. Fry was growing antsy, fearing that what he said would definitely earn him a punch in the stomach. Finally, Leela sighed.

"I think it's safe to say that I'm in love with you too."

The rest of the trip continued on with ease. They made the delivery in less time than it was suppose to take and made it back to earth two days early. During the trip, Fry and Leela talked about how to break the news to everyone of the changes that had occurred between them.

As Leela parked the ship in the garage of the Planet Express, the crew entered one by one to welcome them back.

"You go on ahead and say hey to everyone," Leela said. "I'm going to use the bathroom. I feel a little strange."

"Are you going to be ok?"

"I should be. Now go before they get suspicious."

Leela turned from Fry and walked rather quickly to the bathroom. She felt nauseous, turning her quick walk into a sprint. She reached the bathroom, kneeled before the toilet, and heaved.

"This can't be good," Leela said, wiping the corners of her mouth. "This can't be good at all."

Fry was standing in the conference room saying hello to everyone when Leela came in. He noticed a look of concern on her face and began to worry.

"Fry, can I talk to you over here for a sec?"

"Yeah, yeah. Of course." He said as he followed her away from the conference table.

"Fry, listen to me. Something is wrong, and I think it might be serious."

"What do you mean? Are you ok?"

"That depends on how you look at it. I'm a week late, I'm nauseous every morning. Are you following?"

"You can't be…?"

"Pregnant?"

"But, but, but, are you sure?"

"I'm positive. What are we going to do?"

"I-I don't know."

"Fry, I refuse to abandon this baby. I really think we should keep it."

"You really want to do this?"

Leela sighed. "I don't know. I'm scared to death, but this baby will not be abandoned. I won't allow it."

"Should we tell everyone?"

"I think we're going to have to."

Leela turned around, firmly holding Fry's hand. They made their way to the conference table and sat next to each other. The crew all took their places and stared at the two of them, the tension building. When Leela spoke, the jaws of the employees dropped and eyes widened.

"I always knew you two meatbags would end up doing something like this." Bender said.

Eight months had passed since the trip, and Leela was displaying quite a large bump. Since the announcement, Fry had moved in with Leela in her small apartment. Leela was sitting on the couch reading a newspaper while Fry watched a commercial for bachelor chow on TV. Leela folded up the newspaper and rested her head on his shoulder.

"The baby is going to be here soon, and we haven't given it a name." Leela said.

"Well, what did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking about naming it Yori if it's a girl." She said.

"Yori?" Fry asked. "That's an interesting name for a girl." Fry said.

"Well, I wanted a unique name for the baby. Since I picked the name for a girl, you can pick the name for a boy." Said Leela.

"I don't really have anything unique," Fry said "But I've always liked the name Vincent."

"Vincent? Hm," Leela said. "I like it. Vincent Fry."

Fry smiled and kissed the top of Leela's head. "The baby's going to have my last name?"

"Of course. It can't have mine, it's just too weird." Leela said.

"So it's settled then. We have our chosen names."

"Yeah," Leela said. "That we do."

She looked up at Fry and gently kissed him before speaking again.

"Fry, what if something were to happen to us?"

"What are you talking about? Nothing is going to happen."

"You say that now, but what if something does happen? Who's going to take care of the baby?"

"I'm sure your parents would take the baby in a heartbeat if something happened." Fry said.

"Yeah, but I don't want them to feel like it's their burden to bear." Leela said.

"Did you have someone else in mind?"

"Yeah actually, I do."

Four weeks later, Leela's water broke in the middle of the night. Fry, in a panic, fell out of the bed and quickly grabbed the car keys. They made it to the hospital in just twenty minutes, running numerous red lights and causing a minor accident.

"Fry, be careful! You might have hurt someone!" Leela shouted.

"I'm more concerned about making sure nothing happens to you or the baby!" He said.

After Leela was admitted to a private room, she began to make phone calls to the Planet Express crew letting them know she was going to have to the baby soon. A few tears were shed as were a few good laughs. Fry was still a little shaken from the way he woke up this morning and was constantly asking Leela if she was alright. Leela, getting frustrated, said that if he asked her one more time she would punch him in the arm.

Two hours later, Leela was rushed away to the delivery room. Fry was running beside her bed, holding her hand to keep her calm. In a few moments, he would meet his child and live the life he's always dreamed of living.

"Push Leela! Just one more push and you're done!"

Leela pushed as hard as she could. Seconds later, the room was filled with the cries of the baby.

"Congratulations," the doctor said. "It's a girl."

"You did great, honey." Fry said, stroking Leela's hair back out of her face as he spoke.

"I'm just glad it's over." She admitted. "Isn't she beautiful?"

"Yeah, she's the most beautiful girl in the world." Fry said

Leela smiled, holding the baby close to her. "Hi Yori," she said. "Nice to finally meet you."

Baby Yori was restless in her mother's arms. She had bright green eyes, Leela's nose, and Fry's brilliant red hair. She reached her little hands up towards Fry.

"I think she wants you to hold her." Leela said.

Gently, Leela handed the baby over to Fry. As soon as he held her, his face lit up in exuberance. A wide smile broke out over his face, and his eyes began to glisten with tears.

"She looks just like her mother." Fry said.

"With her father's hair." Leela said. "Just look at how cute it is."

Fry sat down in a chair next to Leela's bed, refusing to take his eyes off of Yori. Leela watched as Fry slowly moved his hand to touch her face, almost as if he was trying to convince himself that she was real.

"Fry, would you mind holding her for a while longer? I'm going to write about something in my Captains Journal."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He said.

Leela grinned and reached for her journal. She ripped out a piece of paper and began to write only a small sentence. When she was finished, she folded the piece of paper up and tucked it into the pocket of her jacket before returning to the journal to write.

The following morning, Leela and baby Yori were set to go home. It was raining outside, making it almost impossible to see clearly out of the windows of the hospital. Leela was packing up her bag while Fry prepared Yori for the chill of the rain outside.

"Are we all set to go?" Leela asked.

"I think so." Fry said.

"Fry, I just want to thank you for being here with me. I couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend."

"Leela, I would never leave you. I'll always be here for you."

He leaned in, kissing Leela gently, then more passionately. It was Leela who caved after a few seconds and broke the kiss.

"Fry," she whispered. "Not in front of the baby."

"Oh, right." He said.

A few moments later, the trio was standing out by the car. It was raining even harder, the roads a blurry mess. Leela tucked Yori safely into her car seat before taking her seat in the front. Fry was waiting in the driver seat, and once Leela was set, he started the car and made his way out onto the road. It was a rough drive for Fry. The visibility was bad and the hover car was getting blown everywhere by the wind. Leela suggested several times that he pull over, but he refused saying he "just wanted to get Yori home".

"Fry, you really need to pull over and wait this storm out. You're going to get us killed if you aren't careful!" Leela argued.

"Nothing is going to happen to us, Leela. I just want to get us home safely."

"Safely? You call driving in the middle of a monsoon safe?"

"Leela, calm down! I'm not going to get us killed!"

"Fry, look out!"

Coming straight for their hover car was a speeding truck, completely out of control. Fry did his best to dodge the truck, but it was too late. The truck quickly hit their car head on, causing it to flip several feet in the air and land upside down in the middle of the road. Glass lay in piles, the car a mangled mess. A hover police car was sitting in a parking lot across the street and came quickly to the scene of the crash.

"This is Officer Paul Simmons requesting backup on the south corner of 5th avenue! There has been a crash, could be potentially fatal!"

Officer Paul Simmons placed his receiver on the dashboard and ran out of the car and onto the cold wet street. He reached the car, got down on his knees, and peered into the car.

"Is everyone ok? This is the police; I'm here to help you!"

There was no answer.

Only the sounds of a stifled baby cry.

Officer Simmons jumped to his feet and ran to his cruiser.

"This is Officer Simmons of the NNYPD. I need an ambulance immediately at the south corner of 5th avenue! There is a baby in an overturned car and I believe the parents are critically injured. Repeat, I need an ambulance at the south corner of 5th avenue immediately!"

Within five minutes, an ambulance, the fire department, and backup police had arrived to the scene of the crash. The car was turned upright and the doctors were doing their best to get Fry, Leela, and the baby out of the car. Fry was freed from the mess first and was immediately carried away on the gurney. Leela was next, and was safely put on a separate gurney. As the doctors wheeled her away, one noticed a piece of paper poking out of her jacket pocket. Curiously, he removed the paper from her jacket, unfolded it, and read the message.

_In case of emergency, contact Amy Wong. _

Amy was sitting on the couch of the Planet Express when her cell phone rang. She patted herself down, searching for the source of the sound. When she found it, she answered in a hurry, hoping it was the sound of her squishy green boyfriend.

But when she heard the voice, she knew something was wrong.

"Ms. Wong, My name is Dr. Jackson Denyer. We were informed to contact you in case of an emergency with Phillip Fry and Turanga Leela. There's been a serious accident."

"Are they ok?" she asked frantically.

Dr. Denyer was silent.

"Ms. Wong, Mr. Fry and Ms. Leela were…killed in the crash. Their daughter, however, survived the crash. We think you should come to the hospital and come take her to a relative of theirs."

"But Fry is from the past, he has no family here. And Leela…her parent's are sewer mutants." She cried.

"I see. Well, I strongly suggest you come and take her someplace safe. She's only a day old."

"Yes sir. I'll be there as fast as I can."

Amy hung up her phone, took a few deep breaths, and quickly made her way out of the Planet Express.

Amy arrived at the hospital in a record breaking ten minutes. She unbuckled her seat belt, opened the car door, ran into the building, and stood at the front desk.

"My name is Amy Wong; I'm here to see Dr. Denyer."

"I'm sorry, dear; Dr. Denyer is busy at the moment. Just got three patients from a fatal crash."

"That's why I'm here! I knew the people involved in the crash and he contacted me to come get the newborn baby."

"Ah, Ms. Wong. You arrived just in time; the baby is in the Nursery with the rest of the newborns. But before I take you to her, I think you should have this. It's a journal we found inside Ms. Leela's jacket along with a letter to contact you in case of an emergency."

"This is Leela's Captains Journal." Amy choked. "She took it with her every time she went on a mission."

Amy opened the journal and flipped though the pages. There was one page in particular that caught her attention.

A letter to her, dated the day the baby was born.

Nervously, Amy began to read the last entry of Leela's journal.

_Dear Amy,_

_You and I both know that I never ask you to do anything major, but today, it is my duty as your captain and as your friend to ask you for the biggest favor. If anything happens to me and Fry, I want you to take care of Yori. I know it's a lot to take in, but you need to learn responsibility. If you need help with anything at all, feel free to ask my parents._

_If you could do this for me, I'll be forever in your debt. You'll make a great mother if you try. Please Amy, take good care of her. She needs a home and people who care about her. If I could ask you to do one more thing for me, I'd like you to give this journal to Yori when she gets older. I want her to know as much about me and Fry as possible._

_You're a great friend, Amy Wong. I'm so sorry that this had to happen, but my baby deserves the best, and I feel that you can give that to her. You'll never know how much I appreciate you doing this for me. I wish you the best. Good luck and thanks._

_Leela_.

Amy wiped the tears away from the corners of her eyes. Leela wanted her to take care of her child?

"Ms. Wong?"

"Yori," she said. "The baby's name is Yori."

"That's quite a unique name." the doctor said. "Well then, are you ready to take baby Yori away from this place? She really needs a mother."

"Y-yeah." Amy choked. "I'm ready."

**THIRTY YEARS LATER…..**

_Captains Log. Date: November 21__st__, 3039._

_Today I embark on my first mission for the Planet Express delivery company. Cubert Farnsworth took over the company after his father passed. When I was the want add in the newspaper for a captain, I knew it was something I had to do. It was something my mom would have wanted. I feel it is my duty to carry on my mom's legacy. Amy gave me my mom's captains journal the day I turned 15, saying she wanted me to have it when I was old enough. I read all about her missions and the people she met along the way. I too hope to have a journey like her. I want to become someone she would be proud of. It still saddens me to this day that I never met her. The only things I have are the stories, pictures, and her journal. As for my dad, I have the same, except according to Amy, he didn't like to write much, so no journals were found. I miss them both terribly, and I know they're watching over me. They'll always be with me, protecting me from harm. The new delivery boy reminds me of my dad, and sometimes I get the feeling that he might want to ask me out. He's a nice guy, but for right now, friendship is the only thing he's going to get._

_As we fly off to the stars, I feel a great sense of adventure. Knowing I am following in my mothers footsteps makes this feeling even stronger. I couldn't be happier._

_This is what I was brought here to do. This is why I was given a chance. This is my destiny._

End.


End file.
